Recumbent elliptical exercise device with apparatus for elongated stride

ABSTRACT

An aerobic exerciser with elongated stride comprising a frame, a seat supported from the frame, a bell crank, a left telescoping pedal rail rotatably attached to the left side of the bell crank at one end and pivotally attached to the frame at the other end, and a right telescoping pedal rail rotatably attached to the right side of the bell crank at one end and pivotally attached to the frame at the other end. 
     In operation, under the weight of the user, each pedal, supported by a pedal rail follows a generally elliptical path in response to rotation of the bell crank. Vertical movement of a telescoping pedal rail is accommodated by the pivot and horizontal movement of the pedal rail results in extension and retraction of the pedal rail.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application relies upon provisional application Ser. No. 60/784,279filed in the United States Patent Office on Mar. 21, 2006.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to an aerobic exercise machine. Moreparticularly, but not by way of limitation, the present inventionrelates to a recumbent elliptical exercise apparatus with elongatedstride.

2. Background

Although offered by various manufacturers under a variety of genericnames, generally speaking, an elliptical exerciser is an aerobicexercise machine wherein the user's feet travel in a generally elongatedelliptical path while the user walks, jogs, runs, or climbs. Manyelliptical exercisers include a feature for simultaneously exercisingthe upper body.

There are many advantages to using a mechanical device to aerobicallytrain rather than simply running or jogging. For example, such machinestypically provide the user with meaningful feedback in regard to theexercise performed. For example, a typical aerobic exercise machine mayprovide the user with a real-time display of power produced by the user(i.e. Watts), as well as totalizing displays of information such ascalories expended or equivalent miles run. In addition, properlydesigned equipment reduces the risk of injury, and, as part of arehabilitation program, allows easy monitoring by a therapist.

Elliptical exercisers have proven to provide a quantifiable, low impactworkout with meaningful results, and are, therefore, a viablealternative to treadmills, stationary bicycles, stair climbers, rowingmachines, and the like. In that regard, elliptical exercisers have thusfar been very popular in relation to other aerobic machines.

In a typical elliptical exerciser, the user's feet rest on individualpedals which are mounted on rails. A first end of each rail is attachedto a bell crank such that the first end of each rail travels in acircular path. The left end of the bell crank is 180 degrees out ofphase with the right end of the bell crank such that as one foot movesforward, the other foot moves backward and as one foot moves up, theother foot moves down. The second end of each rail, depending on theparticular machine, is constrained to move in a track, over a fixedroller, or guided by a swing arm, thereby producing backward and forwardmotion in response to the movement of the bell crank. The resultingstride of each foot of the user follows a generally elliptical path. Theexact dimensions of the ellipse are dependant on a variety of variablessuch as the length of the rail, the position of each pedal on its rail,the diameter of the circle traveled by the bell crank, and the pathtraversed by the end of the rail opposite the bell crank. The perceivedlevel of difficulty in using an elliptical exerciser and the comfort ofthe user are also dependant on these variables.

A limitation of a typical elliptical exerciser is the amount of floorspace occupied by the machine. Whether in a home, a health club, or arehabilitation facility, ideally, an exercise machine will occupy aslittle floor space as possible, especially where such floor space isrented by the square foot. The size of an elliptical exerciser isdictated by, among other things, the length of the pedal rails and thespace required to allow the horizontal movement of the rails in responseto the motion of the bell crank.

Another related limitation arises from the hazzard produced by themovement of the rail end opposite the bell crank. This is especiallytrue with elliptical exercisers where the rails move outside thefootprint of the frame of the machine. A person walking near the machinemay be struck by a rail or trip over a rail. Accordingly, manymanufacturers provide a cover over the end of the rails, adding cost andfurther occupying floor space.

A further limitation of many elliptical exerciser designs is that somemachines have a roller on the free end of the pedal rail or a pivot on aswing arm very close to the floor. It has been a common practice forsome health clubs to place exercise machines near a swimming pool. Inaddition, some facilities pour excessive water on the floor duringcleaning. Either of these situations will subject rollers and pivotsplaced near the floor to potential water damage.

It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an ellipticalexerciser wherein, the back end of the pedal rails pivot from a fixedposition, rather than swinging in an arc, traversing a fixed roller, ormoving in a track, while still allowing the front end of the rails totraverse a circular path.

It is a further object of the present invention to locate rotating oroscillating components of the pedal rails a sufficient distance abovethe floor to avoid subjecting such components to water in a typicalcommercial or institutional environment.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a seaton the exercise apparatus for the user to sit upon whereby the apparatusbecomes a recumbent elliptical exercise device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an elliptical exerciser whichincorporates a telescoping rail mechanism wherein, the back end of therail merely pivots, rather than moving linearly or swinging in an arc.The horizontal component of the motion created by the bell crank isaccommodated by the telescopic rail. The vertical component of themotion is accommodated by the pivot.

In the inventive elliptical stepper, a front portion of each railconnects to the corresponding end of a bell crank. The back end of eachrail connects to a pivot which is provided on the frame, preferablyseveral inches above the floor surface. The front portion of the rail isin sliding engagement with the rear portion the rail such that the railis rigid in regards to vertical forces but will telescopically extend orretract in response to tensile or compressive forces, respectively.

Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention willbe apparent to those skilled in the art upon examining the accompanyingdrawings and upon reading the following description of the preferredembodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts the inventive aerobic exercise apparatus in its generalenvironment.

FIG. 2 provides a perspective view of the inventive aerobic exerciseapparatus.

FIG. 3 provides a partial side view of the inventive aerobic exerciseapparatus showing the left pedal rail in its maximum upward position andthe right pedal rail in its maximum downward position.

FIG. 4 provides a partial side view of the inventive aerobic exerciseapparatus showing the left pedal rail in its fully extended position andthe right pedal rail in its fully retracted position.

FIG. 5 provides a cross sectional view of a left pedal rail asincorporated in the inventive aerobic exercise apparatus.

FIG. 6 provides a cutaway side view of the right pedal rail in its fullyretracted position as incorporated in the inventive aerobic exerciseapparatus.

FIG. 7 provides a cutaway side view of the right pedal rail in its fullyextended position as incorporated in the inventive aerobic exerciseapparatus.

FIG. 8 provides a side view of the distal end of the front rail portionof a pedal rail as incorporated in the inventive aerobic exerciseapparatus.

FIG. 9 provides a top view of the distal end of the front rail portionof a telescopic pedal rail as incorporated in the inventive aerobicexercise apparatus.

FIG. 10 provides an end view of the back end of a pedal rail asincorporated in the inventive aerobic exercise apparatus.

FIG. 11 provides a partial end view of the back of the inventive aerobicexercise apparatus showing a pivot, pedal rail, and pedal.

FIG. 12 provides a partial top view of the inventive aerobic exerciseapparatus showing the left pedal rail in its fully extended position andthe right pedal rail in its fully retracted position.

FIG. 13 provides a top view of the rear portion of a telescopic pedalrail as incorporated in the inventive aerobic exercise apparatus.

FIG. 14 provides a side view of the rear portion of a telescopic pedalrail as incorporated in the inventive aerobic exercise apparatus.

FIG. 15 provides a partial top view of the end of the rear portion of atelescopic pedal rail as incorporated in the inventive aerobic exerciseapparatus.

FIG. 16 provides a partial cutaway side view of an alternate embodimentof a telescopic side rail as incorporated in the inventive aerobicexercise apparatus.

FIG. 17 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing details of a preferredrecumbent embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The preferred embodiment of the inventive aerobic exercise apparatus 20with elongated stride is shown in its general environment in FIGS. 1 and2. Aerobic exercise apparatus 20 comprises: frame 22 supported by frontleg 24 and rear leg 26; left cover 28 enclosing the left side of theupright portion of frame 22; likewise, right cover 30 enclosing theright side of the upright portion of frame 22; bell crank 32 extendingthrough an aperture (not shown) provided in left enclosure 28 andaperture 34 provided in right cover 30; handrail 36 secured to frame 22;electronic console 38; left telescoping pedal rail 40; and righttelescoping pedal rail 42.

Bell crank 32 is in mechanical communication with a brake assembly underthe control of electronic console 38. Such breaking systems are known inthe art and not a part of the present invention.

Preferably, right telescoping pedal rail 42 includes front portion 44and rear portion 46. As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, bushing 48 extendsthrough front portion 44 for rotatably attaching telescopic pedal rail42 to bell crank 32. Similarly, as best seen in FIGS. 13 and 14 incombination with FIG. 1, rear portion 46 includes bushing 50 forpivotally attaching telescopic rail 42 to a pivot 52 on rear leg 26.

Likewise, as shown in FIG. 2, left telescoping pedal arm 40 includesfront portion 54 and rear portion 56. Front portion 54 rotatablyattaches to bell crank 32 and rear portion 56 pivotally attaches topivot 58 on rear leg 26.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, left telescoping pedalrail 40 is the mirror image of right telescoping pedal rail 42 and anydiscussion with reference to either rail applies equally to the otherrail. For the sake of convenience, the discussion of the constructionand operation of inventive telescoping pedal rails 40 and 42 will beaddressed primarily with respect to the right telescoping pedal rail 42,and it is to be understood that such discussion also applies to the lefttelescoping pedal rail 40.

Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9, preferably front portion 44 is tubularand includes: pedal support 60 extending upward therefrom; first rollersupport 61 rotatably securing rollers 62 and 64 such that roller 64extends through notch 70 in front portion 44; and second roller support72 rotatably supporting rollers 66 and 68 such that rollers 66 and 68extend through aperture 74 provided in front portion 44. Whentelescoping pedal rail 42 is assembled, rear portion 46 is slidinglyreceived in front portion 44 such that rollers 62-68 support rearportion 46 (FIGS. 6, 7, 8, and 10) to constrain the vertical movement ofrear portion 46 relative to front portion 44.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 10, front portion 44 includes horizontalroller supports 78 which rotatably support rollers 80 such that rollers80 will rollingly contact the sides 81 of rear member 46 when suchcontact occurs. Referring now to FIG. 15 in conjunction with FIG. 10,rollers 96 are rotatably supported on the end of rear portion 46 suchthat rollers 96 will rollingly contact the inside side wall 82 of frontportion 44 to the extent such contact occurs. Rollers 96 operate inconjunction with rollers 80 to maintain horizontal gap 98 between theside walls 82 of front portion 44 and the sides 81 of rear portion 46.

As best seen in FIG. 11, preferably, pedal 84 is pivotally attached tosupport 60 and includes: stop 86 to limit mechanical travel of pedal 84;bottom plate 88; and pad 90 to receive the users foot.

Referring again to FIG. 1, in operation, a user prepares for operationof the inventive aerobic exerciser 20 by first stepping onto pedals 84.The user begins operation of the machine by shifting her weight to onefoot which provides a downward force on that pedal which in turnpresents a downward force on the bell crank 32 which causes bell crank32 to begin rotating. As the front end of a pedal rail passes the bottomof its circular path, as shown by the position of the right telescopingpedal rail 42 in FIG. 1, the user shifts her weight to the other pedal,thereby continuing to force bell crank 32 to rotate.

As bell crank 32 rotates from the position shown in FIG. 1 to theposition shown in FIG. 2, the front portion of each pedal rail issimultaneously subjected to vertical movement and horizontal movement.The vertical component of the movement causes pivotal movement oftelescoping pedal rails 40 and 42 at pivots 58 and 52, respectively. Thehorizontal component of the movement results in the extension andretraction of telescoping pedal rails 40 and 42. As shown in FIGS. 6 and12, when bell crank 32 is rotated to the point where the front portion44 is at its rearmost position 92, telescoping pedal rail 42 is fullyretracted. Conversely, when bell crank 32 is rotated to the point wherethe front portion 44 is at its most forward position 94 (FIG. 7),telescoping pedal rail 42 is fully extended. The resulting stride whichis presented to the user at each pedal 84 follows a generally ellipticalpath.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, an aerobic exerciserwhich incorporates the inventive telescoping pedal rail does not requireadditional space beyond the back of the machine to accommodate motion ofthe pedal rail. It will also be apparent that there is no movementoutside of the frame of the exerciser thereby reducing risk to otherpeople near the machine.

In an alternate embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, rollers 100 arerotatably supported on rear portion 102 and roll along the inside wallsof front portion 104. Roller 106 maintains a gap to preventsside-to-side contact between rear portion 102 and front portion 104.Front portion 104 includes roller support 108 and roller 110 to provideadditional vertical support between front portion 104 and rear portion102.

FIG. 17 represents the preferred embodiments of this invention. Whereasthe frame 20 of the exercise device shown in FIG. 17 is similar in manyrespects to the exercise frame shown in the embodiments illustrated byFIGS. 1 through 16, the preferred embodiments of FIG. 17 differsprincipally in that it calls for a recumbent elliptical exercise devicewhose main recumbent feature involves a seat 200 having a seat back 202mounted on a seat frame 204. The seat 200 is mounted on a rollermechanism 206 which includes a plurality of rollers 208 mounted forrolling movement within a track 210 on an inclined track support 210′.The exercise machine 20 of FIG. 17 also includes a lower horizontalframe 22 connecting with a forward leg 212 and a rear leg 214. The lowerframe which is supplied in the area encompassed by the lower frame 22,forward leg 212, rear leg 214 and track frame 210′ there are included apower supply 216, a fly-wheel 218 and a bell crank 220. Also shown is adynamic braking system 222.

The system also includes a left foot bed 224 attached to a lefttelescoping rail 226 and a right foot bed 228 attached to a righttelescoping rail (obscured by the left telescoping rail 226). Mounted atthe upper end of the arcuate vertical frame is a control panel 230 andthe device is provided with a right arm crank 282 and a left arm crank284 which are connected respectively to the forward ends of the unseenobscured right telescoping rail and the left telescoping rail 226through arms 286. Left arm crank 284 is pivotally connected intermediateits ends at 288 to a stationary arm 290 which extends from the curvedvertical support 20 as shown. Similar connection is provided for theright arm crank 282. Rollers 292 are located at the forward end of thehorizontal frame 22 and rear rollers 294 are mounted at the rear end ofthe horizontal frame member 22 to permit movement of the entire exercisedevice 20, if desired. The seat 200 is provided with a handle 296 topermit release of the seat when desired. Also provided are seatadjustment knobs 298.

As will be further understood by those skilled in the art, although theearlier preferred embodiments of the inventive apparatus have beendiscussed in regard to pedals such as pedals 84, which are pivotallyattached, a rigid pedal attachment such as pedals 224 and 228 could beincorporated in the inventive device.

The terms “front” and “back’ as used herein are merely temporarilyconvenient descriptive terms for the purposes of a given figure orembodiment; that is, when referring to the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to16, the “front” end is generally to the right on these figures astypified by the location of the console 38 and/or the bell crank 32.However, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 17, the “front” of the deviceis at the left as typified by the location of the console 230; in FIG.17, the bell crank 220 is to the “back” or rear end of the device belowthe seat 200. Thus, the terms “front” and “back” are in fact reversedfor FIG. 17. Therefore, these terms should not be considered aslimiting; parts which operate on the front in one figure might very welloperate on the back or rear end in another figure.

Thus, the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objects andattain the ends and advantages mentioned above as well as those inherenttherein. While presently preferred embodiments have been described forpurposes of this disclosure, numerous changes and modifications will beapparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications areencompassed within the spirit of this invention as defined by theappended claims.

1. An aerobic exerciser comprising: a frame; a seat supported from saidframe; a bell crank having a left side and a right side, said bell crankrotatably mounted to said frame; a left pivot mounted to said frame; aright pivot mounted to said frame; a left telescoping pedal rail havinga front end and a back end, said front end of said left telescopingpedal rail being rotatably attached to said left side of said bell cranksuch that said front end of said left telescoping pedal rail moves in acircular path in response to rotational movement of said bell crank, andsaid back end of said left pedal rail is pivotally attached to said leftpivot; and a right telescoping pedal rail having a front end and a backend, said front end of said right telescoping pedal rail being rotatablyattached to said right side of said bell crank such that said front endof said right telescoping pedal rail moves in a circular path inresponse to rotational movement of said bell crank, and said back end ofsaid right pedal rail is pivotally attached to said right pivot.
 2. Theaerobic exercise apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a left pedal,said left pedal being attached to said back portion of said lefttelescoping pedal rail; and a right pedal, said pedal being attached tosaid back portion of said right telescoping pedal rail.
 3. The aerobicexercise apparatus of claim 1 wherein said left telescoping pedal railincludes a front portion and a back portion, said back portion insliding engagement with said front portion, and said right telescopingpedal rail includes a front portion and a back portion, said backportion in sliding engagement with said front portion.
 4. The aerobicexercise apparatus of claim 3 further comprising: a left pedal, saidleft pedal being attached to said back portion of said left telescopingpedal rail; and a right pedal, said pedal being attached to said backportion of said right telescoping pedal rail.
 5. The aerobic exerciseapparatus of claim 1 wherein said telescoping pedal rail furtherincludes: a front portion having a top and a bottom; a rear portionhaving a top and a bottom, said rear portion in sliding engagement withsaid front portion; at least one roller, said roller rotatably supportedby either said front portion or said rear portion and in rolling contactwith the other of said front portion or said rear portion.
 6. Atelescoping pedal rail for an aerobic exercise apparatus comprising: afront portion having a top and a bottom; a rear portion having a top anda bottom, said rear portion being in sliding engagement with said frontportion; at least one roller, said roller rotatably supported by eithersaid front portion or said rear portion and in rolling contact with theother of said front portion or said rear portion.
 7. The telescopingpedal rail of claim 6 further comprising: a pedal support; and a pedalattached to said support.
 8. The telescoping pedal rail of claim 6further comprising: at least a second roller, said second rollerrotatably supported by either said front portion or said rear portionand in rolling contact with the other of said front portion or said rearportion, wherein, said first roller is in rolling contact with the topof said other of said front portion or said rear portion and whereinsaid second roller is in rolling contact with the bottom of said otherof said front portion or said rear portion.
 9. The aerobic exercisedevice of claim 1 wherein said bell crank is rotatably mounted to saidframe beneath said seat.
 10. The aerobic exercise device of claim 1wherein said seat is capable of adjustment.
 11. The aerobic exercisedevice of claim 10 wherein said frame includes a rail and said seatincludes rollers attached thereto such that said rollers attached tosaid seat engage said rail.
 12. The aerobic exercise device of claim 11further including means for securing said seat at a predeterminedposition along said rail.